Now That Fight Is Over, Smart Meter Installation To Begin

Now That Fight Is Over, Smart Meter Installation To Begin

The smart meter fight is over and now the issue is starting to put those meters in. They're hoping to have more than 40,000 of them in place by the start of next year.

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) - The smart meter fight is over and now the issue is starting to put those meters in. They're hoping to have more than 40,000 of them in place by the start of next year.

Actually there will be more than 40,000 homes getting a total of 60,000 meters.

It's easy to be confused, MLGW president Jerry Collins said. But there is a good chance somebody in your neighborhood, maybe even you, will get a smart meter.

“They are going to be in all portions of Shelby County. In all council districts and in the suburban areas like Germantown, Collierville and Bartlett,” Collins said.

Collins says there's a reason the first wave of meters will be placed all over the place.

“The meters are going to be in concentrated neighborhoods but scattered throughout Shelby County, so we can give everybody a flavor of what its like but still have these concentrated very efficient areas where we can implement and get this started,” Collins said.

In a few years, every customer of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water will have a smart meter.

There's another reason why the company wants them.

“There are 11,000 occasions a year that we know of where people are stealing electricity from MLGW. Smart meters will help put an end to that theft and I think we'll find that there was even more theft out there than we knew about,” Collins said.

The key now, according to Jerry Collins, is communications. To let the people who have the meters and everyone else know these things aren't dangerous. You'll be hearing a lot from the company in the weeks and months ahead.

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